Usually people love dogs or hate dogs . . . there is no in between. On one hand dogs can be loud and smelly; they shed and demand attention; they usually cause some tension in the neighborhood by the the non-dog-lovers (a.k.a. grumpy old men). But, on the other hand, when I look at pictures like this, I can say to myself it is all worth it. Dogs truly are "man's best friend."
Our dog's sister, Lu, and our dog, Tawny.
So, I haven't decided if this is adorable or just down-right disgusting (I'm leaning towards the latter) but I will say that I've learned to strip down my little boy when having spaghetti for dinner.
This past week our little family went to southern California. As usual, Clark had business, so Stockton and I decided to tag along. This is the first trip we've ever taken with just the three of us and we has such a good time! Stockton gets an A+ for staying happy through it all, including the 10 hour car ride.
We we're only there about three days, which was perfect for Stockton's travel patience. The first day we just played at the pool and then drove around Hollywood in the evening. The second day was by far the best because we went to Disneyland. I was a little apprehensive about going because I didn't know if Stockton would be able to enjoy it at his age, but he was a trooper and had a lot of fun. He didn't have the magical, running from ride to ride Disney experience, but more of the wonder and awe feeling and fascination of it all. After every ride we took him on he would say, "again" but then felt confused that we had to wait in line again. His favorite ride was either Dumbo or Peter Pan, but probably the best part of Disneyland for Stockton, was the playground and water fountain in Toon Town. No surprise there really. The last day we went to Huntington Beach. I thought Stockton would go nuts here because of his obsession with water, but it was more of a love-hate relationship. He loved going in the ocean, but was a little scared of the waves and the cold water. He liked making sand castles but was absolutely terrified to walk on the beach. We were only there about an hour before we gave up and went back to our hotel to swim.
Overall, a very successful trip and one that we will have happy memories of.
Most of you know that Stockton has had some delays with communicating. We have him in speech therapy and he is improving so fast. Even though he hasn't been talking a lot, he pretty much remembers every word he has ever heard, and now, they are just spilling out of him. Lately, he's been counting to ten (though #7 is a little sketchy). Pretty cute stuff!
I don't normally post about the books that I have read but John Adams was such a challenge that I decided I deserved bragging rights for finishing it.
In all honesty, it is an amazing book and one that I would recommend. It's just that it's extremely long and non-fiction, which doesn't make it a page-turner. However, in retrospect, I think it is one of the most inspiring books I've read. It has definitely made me more grateful for the country in which we live and the sacrifices our founding fathers made. If nothing else, the book is an enjoyable way to learn more about American history. And I finished it! Yay!
